The election is still a long way off, but the Quinnipiac University poll indicates that, if the election were held today, Clinton would beat either of two possible Republican challengers, Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, by eight points.

The poll shows a drop in Clinton’s “favorability” rating, down nine points from its all-time high of 61 percent, at 52 percent, a reflection of the ongoing Benghazi controversy.

Another possible Democratic candidate, VP Joe Biden, doesn’t fare so well in this poll. If the election were held today, respondents indicated, Biden would lose to Jeb Bush by six points and to Rand Paul by four points.

In other questions, 54 percent say they approve of a path to immigration. But perhaps the most dramatic finding is that by a 4-to-1 margin, survey respondents said they want an independent prosecutor appointed to investigate the Internal Revenue Service after the “targeting” scandal that erupted recently. It’s an option that so far the White House is not prepared to take.